Familiar of Zero: Locke and Key
by BleedingRogue
Summary: This has been done time and time again. Louise summons someone or something that isn't Saito. This is another such story. A boy named Nathaniel Locke is pulled into Halkegenia to be Louise's familiar. Things will be following a similar route, but Nathan is no Saito and his judgment of situations is more sound. (Story is under a new name and being rewritten.)
1. A New Reality

Nathaniel Locke could be described easily by most. Brown hair, green eyes, freckles across his face and just a little over six and a half feet tall. Nearly all features of his were average. Never truly standing out amongst the people around him. A seventeen-year-old guy that never got the chance to experience the outside world or the chance to prove his worth. A child that lost both of his birth parents to tragedy. His mother had died of illness in his infancy. Years later, his father remarried. Only four years later, his father died in a plane crash on a routine business trip due to engine failure. Now, in his final years of high school, he is raised by the woman that his father married after his mother passed. A woman that, to Nathaniel, seemingly popped out of nowhere, Amanda.

While not his mother by blood, Amanda had always treated Nathaniel as her own, even after his father's death. To Nathaniel, she was an extraordinary woman. She was forty-two but didn't look a day over thirty. Her long auburn hair was almost always loose and frizzy, freckles similar to his own dotted her face and her brown eyes almost seemed to be able to read your deepest thoughts. She had a knack for that. Being able to look right through you and be able to tell when something was amiss. And at this moment, Nathaniel found himself in such a situation.

Amanda worked for an advertising company and had a personal laptop that she needed constantly for designing any jobs she was assigned. It also just happened to be a laptop that Nathaniel found out was capable of running the games that he enjoyed playing online. Amanda, of course, knew he did this and would constantly remind Nathaniel that it was her laptop meant for her work and not a teens antics and playtime. That didn't stop her from acting like she was unaware that he would sneak and play it when she "wasn't paying attention."

Unlike usual, Nathaniel had knocked the laptop off of his desk and it would no longer start. To avoid getting caught, Nathaniel tried to sneak the computer back to its resting place in the drawer in the living room. But, after successfully placing the laptop where it belonged, when he was on his way back to his room, his step-mother had stopped him.

"Nathan, what happened? Is something wrong?"

This was exactly what Nathaniel was trying to avoid. He had hoped that his step-mom would just try to boot up the laptop, see it wasn't working and either replace it or repair it, but she just had to catch him after the hard part of his "stealth mission."

"What? N-no, nothing's wrong, why are you asking?"

Not only was Amanda able to tell very easily if someone was lying or if they were feeling off, but Nathaniel was a terrible liar. His voice would shake, he would stutter and you could always see his eyes go anywhere that wasn't you.

"Well, it's just that you seem kind of pale and you're a bit jittery. You're only like this when something bad happens. So, don't hide anything from your mother. What happened?"

Nathaniel knew that he had been caught at this point, the moment that his step-mom spoke to him, he knew that she had caught him red-handed, so he figured he may as well save himself some trouble and tell her the truth.

"Well, you see...uh...well… I may or may not have erm...broken...the computer."

Amanda saw this happening at some point. As good of a kid she knew Nathaniel was, he was a tad accident prone. Honestly, she was just surprised that it had taken this long for it to happen

"Nathan, I thought that we agreed you would ask me before you used the laptop?"

Yes, his step-mom had warned him before and told him to ask her to use the computer, but she only let him use it when it was for a school project or something!

"Yeah, but there was an event going on and I didn't want to-"

So, that was the case this time? Well, it didn't matter to her. She had things to do that day, laptop or no and she needed to get them done, but that wasn't to say that she wasn't going to need the laptop for later. So, putting two and two together, she decided to send the one who caused the problem to fix the problem. Thankfully, she had purchased a warranty for the laptop, knowing that this kind of thing would happen with her butterfingers of a step-son, so he would only have to hand it over for repairs, something that even he shouldn't be able to screw up.

"I don't care. I hope you didn't have any plans for later, because you're going to take the computer to get fixed."

Well, it's not like Nathaniel had plans anyway. That didn't mean he wanted to do it. But, he knew that when his step-mom got mad about something or when he did something wrong, that there was no fighting against it. So, he had to sigh in defeat.

"Fine. Where was the tech shop again?"

That was another thing about Nathaniel. His severe lack of direction. Amanda swore that if she never held his hand in the grocery store when he was a kid, that he would be at the service desk every single time. Sighing in frustration, she scribbled the directions to the repair shop on a piece of paper and handed it to him.

"Here. Don't come home until you get that computer fixed, or you have bought a new one."

With that tone of voice, Amanda was definitely steamed, and Nathaniel had no intention of feeding those flames, so he left with a short nod to his step-mom and grabbed his jacket on his way out the door.

The state of Washington was always a bit too cold for Nathaniel's liking, but spring was finally coming around. While you couldn't quite feel that spring was coming, you could see it. Birds had begun to return to the area and a few trees were starting to bud. These were the things that stood out the most to Nathaniel at least. But, he couldn't let himself get distracted, he estimated that he had been staring off at the trees and birds for a few minutes, so he consulted the directions that his step-mother had given him.

"So if the store's on fifth, then...oh God, I'm already lost."

Even with the directions, his step-mom had given him, after only twenty minutes of walking from home, Nathaniel was lost. And as per tradition, whenever Nathaniel would panic, he would talk to himself.

"Okay Nathan, you'll be fine. You've been lost before, you'll find your way there… Maybe I shouldn't be talking to myself…"

Two hours had gone by and Nathaniel still didn't seem to be any closer to finding the tech shop. He took another look around, running his hand through his hair, and happened to spot a very inviting bench in the park nearby. Since he didn't think that he was likely to run into the store anytime soon, he decided to rest for a moment.

To Nathaniel, nothing felt better than the Spring breeze. He took the time to gaze around. The lake nearby had its fountain on and had several ducks afloat on its surface. A number of people were walking around the park, some jogging, walking pets or simply sitting around and enjoying the scenery as Nathaniel was. He wished he could just stay there for the day, but his step-mom would kill him if he didn't show up with a working computer.

Once again, Nathaniel stood up and began to search for his elusive destination when a strange, green object appeared in front of him. It seemed like some kind of portal but, that was impossible, right? Nathaniel got closer and started to investigate the green floating disk in front of him. He peered around at the passersby. He even tried asking a passing jogger if they were seeing what he was. But, the jogger didn't respond, in fact, the jogger didn't even acknowledge that he was there. It was almost as if both he and the portal didn't exist to the world.

So, what? Could no one else see what Nathaniel was seeing? Could they not see him? Still curious about the disk-like object that popped into existence, he touched it. Surprisingly, the surface wasn't at all solid, acting more like suspended water than a solid disk. The space behind it was cold, more so than the chilly post-autumn air around him. Then, the disk began pulling on him. Nathaniel couldn't fight back, it was far too strong. In a last-ditch effort to pull himself free, Nathaniel dropped the laptop and started pulling his captured arm with his free hand to no avail. He was pulled through in seconds.

There was no telling how long Nathaniel was out for. Seconds, minutes, hours? He had no idea. When the portal, that's what he had deduced that it was, had pulled him in, he found himself in a black void and passed out shortly afterward. Now, as he regained consciousness, he could hear voices surrounding him. Not only that, but he was able to smell smoke as well. It was painful for him to open his eyes, but he had to know what was going on.

What Nathaniel had expected to see when he woke up was a group of people passing through, chattering about him being asleep on the ground. But, what he saw were parting clouds of smoke. Through them, he was starting to make out the details of the people around him. The first that he saw was a girl, quite a bit shorter than he was. Once the smoke cleared sufficiently enough, he was able to make out more details. The girl was wearing a very strange outfit. She wore a black skirt, a white button-up shirt, and cloak with a medallion at her chest. But, the thing that stuck out the most to Nathaniel was the girl's hair and her eyes, both were pink. Nathaniel had heard that some people dyed their hair strange colors and that some people wore colored contacts, but he had never seen it in person before.

The girl was staring right at Nathaniel, and now that Nathaniel was able to take another look around, he saw that she wasn't the only one. All around him were people in similar outfits to what the girl was wearing. A few in the crowd stood out to him. A couple of girls, that were basically visual opposites of each other stood at the forefront of the crowd. On the right was a tall girl with dark skin, a mane of flame-red hair and a very large pair of breasts that Nathaniel had to pull his eyes away from. Next to her was a much shorter girl. In contrast to the bombshell next to her, the girl had short, cold-blue hair, equally cold eyes, and red glasses.

Closer to him, standing next to the pink haired girl was an elderly, balding man in a robe. Now that Nathaniel thought about it, his ears had been ringing the whole time he had been awake and he was starting to pick up sounds. Except… he couldn't understand what the people were saying at all. They were speaking a different language, and as far as Nathaniel could tell, it sounded like French. Now, while Nathaniel couldn't speak the language fluently, he knew a small portion of the language thanks to his introduction to French course back in his freshman year.

It seemed that the red-haired girl that he had spotted earlier was making fun of the pink haired girl in front of him. The only indications he had of this were the redhead's pointing finger, her laugh and the repetition of the word "zero." While he couldn't guarantee that it was an insult, Nathaniel was reluctant to say that is wasn't.

Once the redhead had finished taunting the poor girl to Nathaniel's side, who had started to turn red in both what Nathaniel assumed to be anger and embarrassment, the pink haired girl practically spun on her heel and yelled at the old man.

Since Nathaniel wasn't really able to make out what was being said in the conversation between the two, he switched his sights from the people around him to the area around him. First, were the huge stone walls that surrounded him. That alone was enough to tell Nathaniel that he definitely was not in the park anymore. Second, were the grand towers that were attached to each wall.

How was this possible? Where was he? Was he somewhere in France? That would certainly explain most of the situation. The people speaking French, the strange getups, the castle. But, there was something else. How did he get here? Nathaniel had already guessed that the thing he saw earlier was some kind of portal. But, what was with the smoke from earlier? No one else seemed to be bothered by it.

In the time it took for Nathaniel to look around and think about things, he hadn't noticed the pink haired girl getting closer to him. Before Nathaniel was fully focused on her again, she had already crouched down a foot or two in front of him. Her face was full of conflicting emotions. The most prominent ones that Nathaniel could make out were anger and embarrassment.

Out of her belt, the girl pulled… a stick? No, that didn't seem quite right. Was it supposed to be a wand? Did he get pulled into some strange, French, magic cult? The girl had closed her eyes, started to twirl the wand some in the air in front of her and whispered a chant. When she had finished, the pink haired girl's face started to show less anger and more reluctance and… disgust… towards him? That was just rude. The words that Nathaniel could make out didn't amount to much. "Be thankful", "wouldn't do" and her name was all that Nathaniel could get out of her. Louise, something or other, Vallière, that was her name. Nathaniel didn't have much time to think about that though, as the pink haired girl closed her eyes and started to lean towards him.

Was she doing what he thought she was doing? No, that wasn't how Nathaniel wanted his first kiss to be. Nathaniel leaned back and put his hand over her mouth. His French was very rusty, but it was the only way he was going to communicate with these people. The words he spoke came out choppy and horribly accented.

"Sorry, I can't."

The pink haired girl appeared more than mildly surprised. That surprise of hers quickly turned into anger. All in one motion, she had pulled Nathaniel's arm away from her mouth, pushed him back onto the ground and put her lips on his own.

The kiss was nowhere near what Nathaniel had expected it to be. At the same time, he couldn't say that the circumstances surrounding the kiss were necessarily normal either. Not to mention, the girl didn't seem to have any fond feelings towards him when she did it. The kiss was short, but Nathaniel noted that her lips were soft and oddly warm.

Louise, he was sure he had heard her say her name was, got off of him and stood up, face devoid of any emotion besides embarrassment. Nathaniel remained on his back, staring at the sky.

Nathaniel had been pulled to some strange place, possibly in another country, he had no way of reaching his step-mom and just lost his first kiss to a girl that he never met before. Nathaniel's thoughts didn't go much further than that, as smoke filled his senses again. The smell wasn't coming from the air. It smelled almost like burning flesh. Nathaniel looked down at his left hand… it was glowing. The pain set in shortly after. It felt to Nathaniel like not only his hand was burning, but his mind too! The pain was greater than anything he had ever felt before. Nathaniel felt himself beginning to lose consciousness again as the pain started to fade away. After what happened the last time he passed out, Nathaniel was reluctant to do so again. He fought with every fiber of his being to stay awake. It felt like an eternity, but the burning finally subsided. What did that girl do to him?

Nathaniel took another look at the girl that had kissed him. His breathing was ragged, he was now coated in sweat and he was fighting to keep his eyes open. Through this, he was able to manage a few words to ask the girl, Louise, a question.

"What did you do?"

The girl didn't look like she understood a single word of English. Then again, no one around her seemed to understand what Nathaniel had said either. The old man even went as far as looking at him in bewilderment. Louise turned back to the old man in the robes and seemingly asked him a question. Again, Nathaniel could only make out a few words. One of which was very obviously "translation." The man nodded and pointed the wooden staff he had been holding at me and chanted a few words that didn't even seem French. Nathaniel felt an odd sensation pass through his body for a short moment. The girl returned her focus on Nathaniel and spoke to him.

"Now, what did you say, commoner?"

What was this? Now, all of a sudden, this Louise girl was fully fluent in English? Nathaniel supposed that his other question was a bit more pressing than her sudden mastery over a foreign language. So, Nathaniel asked his question again.

"I-I asked...what did you just do to me?"

Nathaniel had too many questions. Where was he? What was he doing there? How did he get there? And, did Louise call him a commoner?

"I finished the familiar binding contract."

Nathaniel could not believe what he was hearing. A familiar? What did that mean? He didn't believe how blind he was to it earlier, but scattered within the crowd of people, were several creatures. They ranged from normal dogs and cats to strange things that Nathaniel had never seen before. A giant flaming lizard, a floating eyeball, and far in the back near a tree was what Nathaniel could only describe as a dragon. Did that mean that it wasn't some magic cult that he was in, but an actual group of people that could use magic? Like in Harry Potter or something? Nathaniel just kept getting more questions, but what he needed were answers.

"You said a familiar? What do you mean a familiar? I don't understand."

All of this seemed like some cruel joke to Nathaniel. Was this what he got for playing games on his step-mom's computer without her permission? An all-expense paid trip to a world of wizards?

"That's right. Today is the familiar spring-time summoning ritual for the second years at Tristain's Academy of Magic. I summoned you as my familiar, as much of a disappointment that that is, and bound you by the contract."

Louise explained everything in such a calm manner, it was hard for Nathaniel to believe if she was trying to mess with him. Tristain? An academy for magic? Even more questions that he doubted would be answered anytime soon. Still, he had to get back somehow. His step-mom had to be worried sick by now.

"Then...what...what do I do now? My home… my mother… How do I go back?!"

Nathaniel couldn't help but yell. He was panicking. Everything he had ever known had just been torn from him in an instant. Nathaniel looked desperately at the people in the crowd. From, Louise, to the old man, to the people in the crowd. It was only the old man who stepped forward.

"I'm sorry to say young man, but it won't be possible to go back the way you came. But I'm sure Miss Vallière here would allow you to visit your home if given the opportunity. Where are you from?"

Colbert could understand the pleas of the young man in front of him. While it was one thing to take a creature from its home in the woods or mountains, it was another to pull a human across the realms from their home. So, while the familiar summoning spell was one way and there wasn't any way to find where the familiar had come from exactly, they could at least give him the opportunity to visit.

The young man seemed to be deep in thought for a moment but gave him his time. Surely, he must be confused and frightened. Then, the young man looked at him again and spoke.

"Morton Washington in the U.S."

Colbert could tell that there may have been some difference in accent, but there was no country that's name sounded even remotely similar to such a place. Even so, the boy must know at least of the great nation of Tristain.

"Yu Esh? I'm afraid I've never heard of that nation before. Tell me, boy, does the country Tristain sound familiar to you? Perhaps Germania or Albion?"

More and more and more questions! Nathaniel was at a loss. Not only was he horribly lost, he was sure that he wasn't even on earth anymore. As far as he knew there weren't any places that had those names. Not to mention, the people there didn't know about the United States.

"You're kidding, right? The United States of America? One of the global superpowers?"

Colbert could only feel pity for the poor boy. He must have been pulled from some far-off land. Perhaps as far as Rub' Al Khali, far to the East. The boy had been speaking a language that he had never heard of before, after all.

"I'm afraid I just named most of the powerful nations we have contact with. I'm sorry to say, but it seems it will very difficult, if at all possible, to bring you home. Not to worry. I'm sure Miss Vallière will take very good care of you."

That was it. Nathaniel was completely sure of it. This wasn't Earth, or at least not the same version. Nathaniel had read about something called the multiverse theory. Something about there being a universe for every possibility for every situation. Could this just be some version of Earth where magic exists? He wasn't sure, but it was a possibility.

Nathaniel was about to ask more questions of the old man that he had been speaking to, but Colbert had already turned to face the crowd of people that surrounded them.

"Alright everyone, with that out of the way, that finishes your familiar summoning ritual. You all have the rest of the day and tomorrow to rest and get to know your familiars. You are dismissed!"

Many of the students immediately walked away with all manners of creatures in tow. Some of the students even began to float off in various directions. With everything that had happened so far, Nathaniel was not so surprised as he was amazed. Magic, he realized, was a reality here. But, what kind of magic did they utilize? What kind of magic was possible here?

Of all the bad things to happen to Louise, this had to be one of the worst. She would have almost preferred the usual explosion to have happened and no familiar shown up. To summon a commoner was unheard of! Already, she was a disgrace to the Vallière family. She had tried her hand in all schools of magic with all levels of spells. Every time produced the same result. An explosion without the intended effect of the spell.

For the longest time, because of the explosions she caused, she figured she may have some sort of affinity for the fire element. After continuous attempts in the field, she only got the same results. After everything today, Louise just wanted to rest.

"Familiar! Come on, we're returning to my dorm."

Nathaniel hadn't been here all of ten minutes when he had been hit with the information that not only was he in some far-off place, possibly another dimension with no way of contacting or returning home, but that he was to serve some pink-haired girl he had never met. It wasn't like he had much a choice in the situation. Lost, alone and without any idea what the world was like beyond the walls he now found himself behind. For now, Nathaniel decided that the best course of action was to see how things played out.

Finally picking himself off the ground, Nathaniel staggered his way towards Louise. She had already turned her back on him and was on her way to the nearest tower that met the walls. Whatever spell it was that she had performed on him earlier, the familiar summoning whatever, he was almost completely drained of energy.

"R-right… I'm… on my… way…"

That was all Nathaniel could manage. All the excitement and exhaustion had caught up to him and he fell to the ground, unconscious.

Alrighty! A couple of things I want to say. I have been gone for far too long, and I am doing a remastering of a fanfic that no one asked for! To anyone who has already read this fanfiction to where it is now, thank you for taking the time to do so and I hope you have enjoyed it. To anyone who is just now picking it up, the same applies, but what comes next will not.

Before now, this entire fic was written in a first person perspective and in my opinion, pretty poorly. So, to remedy this, I am rewriting all existing chapters in third person and will begin doing the same for future chapters. Yes, that does mean that this is not a dead or abandoned fanfiction. Even though it may have seemed like it.

College has taken WAY more time and effort than I ever could have thought possible. After I get all caught up with the existing chapters, I do plan to continue with this. I will not be satisfied until I hit a point where this story can actually end. So, do keep in mind that no matter how long the wait, this will have more chapters at some point. I really hope that to those of you who are following this, that the wait is worth it.


	2. Adjusting

Currently, the pink-haired girl was barking commands at me, but I was having a lot of difficulty paying attention to what she was saying. She was scarcely clothed, I was holding what she was wearing earlier after she had thrown it at me and I still had that kiss from earlier on my mind. Sure, I know that there wasn't any feeling behind it, but that was my first kiss!

Apparently, I'd been absent minded for too long for her liking, because Louise had that annoyed look on her face again, one that I'm sure I would be seeing quite frequently. She started yelling at me again, this time I managed to hear what she was saying. "Are you deaf?! I told you to go wash those!" Right, wash the clothes. Easy enough.

"Uh, y-yeah, sure. One question though, where do I go to do that?" Louise clearly hadn't thought much on the fact that I didn't know a thing about where I currently was. She caught herself and gave me proper directions on where the washing rooms were and told me to ask any of the servants for directions on my way down.

The journey was uneventful, and for once I was managing to find my way without much difficulty. Or so I thought. Once I opened the door to what I had assumed was the washing room, I found myself instead, outside in the grassy area from earlier.

 _What? No, I'm sure I followed her directions perfectly. Down the stairwell on the right, reach the first floor and make two lefts and then a right...or was it the stairwell on the left? Damnit!_

I turned around and entered the great stone structure once more. Annoyed as I was with having gotten lost, I was hardly paying attention to where I was going, and as a result, I ended up crashing into someone.

"Sorry, my mind was somewhere else." I looked up to see a young girl wearing the same getup as Louise and the others, although rather than her cape being black like the others, hers was brown. Another thing, the girl herself didn't seem to be paying attention. Her cheeks were flushed and it seemed like she was in a hurry. "Um, are you alright?"

"H-huh? Ah, yes, I er- have you happened upon lord Guiche, by any chance?"

 _Guiche? What kind of name is that?_

"No, I can't say I have." I gathered Louise's clothes from off the ground, and stood up, offering my hand to the girl I had knocked over. She accepted and I pulled her up. "Sorry again, today has been a bit of a mess for me." The girl looked at me for a moment, suddenly a spark of recognition appeared in her eyes.

"Oh! Would you happen to be that familiar that Louise the Zero summoned?"

 _The Zero? Some kind of nickname?_

"Yeah, I guess so."

"I had heard all the commotion from the second years, but I can't believe the rumors were actually true. I mean, a commoner for a familiar is unheard of." She was still looking at me like I was some sort of strange phenomena. Although, with her description, I guess, in a way, I was.

"I'm sorry to interrupt your thoughts, but you wouldn't happen to know where the washrooms are, would you?" She seemed to notice the clothes I was carrying in my arms and snapped out of her daze.

"Ah, of course. It is straight down this hallway."

 _Thank goodness. I thought that it was on the opposite side of the building._

I nodded my head in thanks to the girl and headed off towards the washrooms once again.

* * *

 _ **In Louise's Room**_

"Gah! Why did I have to summon a commoner?!" Louise was back in her room, fuming over her misfortune. "Why couldn't I have summoned something cool, like a Griffon or a Dragon like Tabitha?" Her familiar seemed to be incapable of even following simple orders. Not only that, but he refused to look her in the eyes when she spoke to him. While such a thing was expected of servants unless ordered otherwise, he did so out of some other reason other than respect. Probably out of spite for all she knew.

The familiar summoning ritual was her chance to prove to everyone that she wasn't a Zero. But, just like everything else she ever did with magic, it went up in smoke. Now, she had to deal with not only being labeled as 'Louise the Zero', but she now had to deal with an incompetent peasant boy as a familiar. The moment her mother found out about this disgrace, she would have her pulled out of the academy and married off.

No, she would find a way around this. There had to be some way to convince her mother. She couldn't think about that too much at the moment. First, she would need to make sure that her familiar was aware of his duties and was capable of performing them to her expectations.

* * *

Well, it took me longer than I would have liked, but I've never had to do laundry without a washing machine. All they had here was soap, water and some kind of washboard. I only managed at all thanks to one of the maids that offered to help me and guide me back to Louise's room once I had finished. She told me that her name was Siesta and never to hesitate to ask her for help if I needed it. Currently, I was following behind Siesta on our way up the stairs towards Louise's room.

"So, , I hear you are from far away? Where are you from?"

"Considering that the guy I spoke to hadn't even heard of it, I wouldn't be surprised if I wasn't even on the same planet anymore."

"I see. Your family must be worried about you." I kept silent after that until we reached the door. A vision of my step-mom crying in the living room filled my mind. "Well, here we are, 's chambers. Please remember , should you need anything I will do my best to help you." Siesta turned around and knocked on Louise's door. A moment later, the door opened. "Good evening , I hope you do not mind, but I assisted your familiar in washing your uniform." Louise looked past Siesta and straight at me, my eyes darted away from hers, finding the door frame very interesting.

"Very well, thank you-"

"Siesta, ma'am."

"Thank you, Siesta. Familiar, come inside." I sighed and walked past Siesta, but not before thanking her for her help and bidding her goodnight.

Louise took the clothes from me and set them on her bed. She faced towards me and ordered me to take a seat on the floor.

"As regretful as it may be, I have summoned you as my familiar. As such, there is a certain level of behavior expected of you. The actions of a familiar reflect upon their master after all." She took a seat on her bed and continued. "First and foremost, you are to obey my every order to the best of your capabilities. Second, you are to protect me at any cost, even should that cost be your life. Lastly, you are to act in the best interest of the House of Valliere in the event that we are seperated, which will be highly unlikely."

 _I don't understand this at all. Why do I have to do all that? Why would I risk my life for her? She's been nothing but disrespectful!_ _This girl is starting to get on my nerves._

"Why should I?" Her eye twitched and that annoyed look was on her face once again.

"Why? Why?!"

 _I feel like I should have kept my mouth shut._

"As my familiar, you are bound to me by your runes, and we will be connected for eternity until the day one of us dies. As my familiar, you are to follow my every will." This entire thing seemed a little bit too much like slavery. Fine. Doesn't seem like I'll be having many other choices. Besides, I have no idea where I am. Where would I go?

"Alright, sure. I'll do what you say. But you could at least bother to learn my name you know." I guess I appealed to her somewhat, because instead of that now trademarked annoyed face, she was smiling slightly like she had just won something. I don't know why, but that ticked me off even more.

"Fine, I suppose it is important for a master to know the name of her familiar. What is your name."

 _I want nothing more right now, than to knock her off her high horse._

"My name is Nathaniel Locke, but I usually just go by Nathan."

"Very well, _Nathan_ ," Why did she say it like that? It was almost like she was mocking me. "Your first task for tomorrow will be waking me up at dawn in time for breakfast. Also, you will address me as Master, not as 'you'."

 _Hold it in Nathan, you can't hit a girl._

To counter her from earlier, I matched her mocking tone and, with an exaggerated bow said, "As you wish, _Master_."

"Hmph, well, I suppose it's a start. Now, put my uniform in that dresser over there. When you've finished, we will be going to bed," She gestured over to a pile of matted hay in the floor near her bed. "I prepared some sleeping arrangements for you while you were away." With that, she laid down in her bed and pulled herself under her covers.

I was more than a little upset at the circumstances, but at least I wasn't fending for myself out in the wild. Once the clothes were away, I made my way over to the pile of hay and laid down in it.

 _This girl is lucky that I can sleep just about anywhere._

Just because I can sleep anywhere doesn't mean that I want to. I mean, who doesn't enjoy a nice, soft bed? In one last attempt to get the last laugh for the day, I called out, "Goodnight, _Master_ Louise." I swear I could hear her almost growl at me.

"Goodnight, _familiar_ Nathaniel."

 _I swear, I'm going to teach that girl a lesson._

* * *

So, I guess this is an author's note. This, probably very obviously, is my first attempt at writing fanfiction of any sort. By most standards of decent fanfics that I've read, I can easily say that my chapters are kinda short. But, I'm hoping I can remedy the situation by putting chapters out a bit more frequently.

If anyone reading has any questions, comments or critiques, don't be afraid. I welcome all and fear no amount of bashing on my work. In fact, surprisingly, it seems that harsh criticism is what I learn from most. My first chapter in this was more of an experiment. I knew that people would read it eventually, merely because it was a new fic, but I was genuinely pleased to see just how many people read it. Now, it's hard to say how many of them enjoyed reading it, but that's my goal in all this.

Since this is my first piece, I don't expect it to be anywhere near perfect. There will most definitely be points where I can improve and points where the story may fall a little flat. But, that's where I'm hoping I can count on the readers to help me out.

Once again, I'm open to any advice and other comments you may have. I will try to update this at the very latest, once a week. If I come to any troubles, they will be at the end of the most recent chapter. I look forward to the progress of this story and your reactions.

~BleedingRogue


	3. The First Day

The next day came far too soon and sleep came far too difficult last night. I had a dream that I was still back in Washington. I walked into the front door, a fixed laptop in hand. My step-mom had apologized for being so rough on me and we enjoyed a pleasant dinner. Though, I guess now that I'm awake, it was more of me waking up into a nightmare. When my eyes opened, I wasn't greeted with the sight of a familiar ceiling. Instead, I woke up with straw in my hair and the ornate ceiling of Louise's room.

I had to take a moment to let reality sink in again. I was trapped into the servitude of this annoying girl, in some far off land. When I finally managed to pull myself off the floor and the straw out of my hair, I could see traces of morning coming in through the window.

 _Guess I should probably wake her up. No telling how much more annoying she would be if I didn't get her up on time._

I started to shake her shoulder and call her name softly at first. She must have been a heavy sleeper, because all she did was stir some and mumble the name of someone called, 'Wardes'. Irritated, I shook her harder and practically yelled her name. Her response was golden. She jumped up, startled, probably assuming that someone had barged into her room and screamed. It took all I had not to burst out laughing at her display.

"What? Who?" She looked at me dazed and still somewhat bleary eyed. After rubbing the sleep out of her eyes and looking at me for a moment, yesterday's events seemed to slowly creep back to her. "Oh, right. You're that incompetent peasant I summoned."

 _Oh, I swear to God, she is gonna get it sooner or later._

"Yes, I'm your familiar, Nathaniel Locke. Ring any bells? You told me to wake you up at dawn so," I gestured around the room for her to take notice of the daylight.

"Right, so I did." Groggily, she climbed out from under her covers and stood up, holding her arms up, expecting something.

"What are you doing?" I swear this girl was on a fuse shorter than she was tall, because she was already ready to throttle me.

"A noble shall not dress themselves when there is a capable servant available." That was it.

"Alright, look, _Master_. I am no slave. I will help you do a few things. Laundry, fine. Shopping, sure. Getting food for you, no problem. But dressing you is where I put my foot down." I could tell that I definitely crossed some invisible line that I should have left well enough alone, but I didn't care. From here on, I was only going to give her the respect that she gave me.

"I only summoned you yesterday, and I'm already sick of you! Fine! I'll dress myself, but it seems you won't be getting breakfast for the next week."

 _What? She can't do that, can she? I'm a human being, she can't strip me of my right to eat._

That was where I was wrong. Being her familiar, I was technically her property, meaning that she had full control over my treatment and meals. I was still riding that wave of rage. "Okay by me! I'll be waiting outside by your door, _Master_." I tried to stretch the word as long as possible so that I could annoy her even more.

It took her longer than I expected to finish dressing herself. When she left the room, she closed the door behind her. The only thing she said to me was, "Follow me."

* * *

Based on her orders last night, I assumed that we were heading towards some kind of cafeteria or dining hall. Not that it mattered for me. As per my punishment, I wasn't allowed to eat. Not even table scraps were acceptable. I was trying not to let my hunger get to me, but I hadn't eaten since lunch back in Washington. I had no idea when that even was. Based on just how hungry I was, I could safely say that I hadn't eaten in at least the last twenty-four hours.

When we arrived at the Alvis Dining Hall as Louise called it, I was shocked at what I was seeing. The place was huge. Dozens of large wooden tables lined the room in rows. Students filled in most of the seats and servants were running around, trying to serve the students as quickly as possible. Louise made her way to a mostly empty table and seated herself as far from the other students as she could. She waved one of the servants over and was given a plate of eggs, fresh bread and ham.

While she ate, I was able to catch a bit of what people were saying around us.

"Hey, that's the Zero right? I heard she summoned a commoner as a familiar, but I didn't think it was true." There was that name again. _Zero_. Why were people calling her that?

"Yeah, I heard that she blew up a simple transmutation spell in Madame Chevreuse's class the other day." Transmutation? Was this really a school for young mages? I mean I saw all those creatures yesterday and I couldn't explain how I got here, but still, I had my suspicions.

"It's true. I was there. Apparently, people are saying that she's paying that commoner to act as her familiar since she knew she wouldn't be able to summon one." I think I was beginning to piece together the situation here. In this academy full of mages, she was the only one who couldn't use magic. As annoying as I found that pink-haired girl, I couldn't help but sympathize with her.

I stood behind her, rocking on my heels as I listened to the conversations of those nearby, I noticed that I wasn't the only one listening. Louise was beginning to tense up and was eating more quickly than before. She had the entirety of her plate wolfed down in less than five minutes. She got up from her chair quite suddenly and stormed out of the room. She didn't say to follow her, but I figured that it was a given that I should.

Following her from a good distance back, I started to think about why she may have been treating me the way she was. If I was in her place, and I finally got a familiar and it didn't listen to a word I said, I'd probably be mad too. But, the matter still stood. I was not a slave. There was a certain level of respect that I expect to get from people. That's not to say that I wasn't willing to work something out with her. If she was willing to, I was going to have a system in place where I would tell her what I would and would not help her with, what conditions I would expect her to provide me and the amount of respect I would have her treat me with. If I could even get her to meet me halfway, I would call that progress and attempt to be more patient with her.

When Louise had stopped walking, she had led us outside to a courtyard with several tables set up. It seemed that any of the students that weren't inside the dining hall were here. They all seemed to be tending to their familiars.

"What's going on over there?" Louise didn't even look at me to answer the question.

"Since a familiar is essentially an extension of the mage themself, it is important for the two to bond properly. So, all second years have been given the day off." I guess this was my chance to try and get some common ground between us.

In the corner of my vision, I caught a glimpse of someone familiar. It was that girl I had bumped into last night that was looking for some guy who had that really weird name. I thought about it for a moment and decided that it was probably a good idea to build some relationships up with other people. I didn't know how long I was going to be here, so I figured becoming friendly with a few people might be good in case I needed help.

"Master," I tried not to put so much sarcasm in my voice this time around. " that girl over there helped me last night when I was taking care of your laundry. If you will let me, I would like to thank her properly." She barely acknowledged me, simply waving me off.

"Alright. I'll be at that table there. Have a seat when you've finished." I made my way over to the girl from the night before and saw that just like last night, she was flushed and in a hurry. If I had to guess, she was looking for the same guy.

"Excuse me." The girl turned around in surprise.

"Oh, it's you again, Zero's familiar." After figuring out Louise's nickname, it hurt a bit each time someone called her that.

"Yes, I just wanted to properly thank you for last night." The girl smiled at me.

"Oh, it was no problem at all."

"My name is Nathaniel Locke, Louise's familiar, as you already know."

"I'm Katy la Jonquille du Bellay."

 _Does everyone around here have obnoxiously long names?_

"It's nice to meet you. Oh, did you ever find who you were looking for last night?" Katy's already red faced darkened even more after bringing that up.

"Y-yes, in fact I'm on my way to meet Lord Guiche again. However, I'm having trouble finding him, and after all the trouble I went through making this soufflé." She lifted the small basket in her arms as she said this.

"Maybe I could help you find him?"

"Truly?" She nearly knocked me over again as she leaned towards me and took my hand in both of hers. Her eyes were sparkling.

 _She must really like this Guiche guy._

"O-of course. What does he look like?" Katy gave me a short description of him. Blond, wavy hair, light-blue eyes. Sounded like your average pretty boy to me. Looking out over the crowd, I could only see one guy fitting the description, but he was sitting at a table with another girl. I wasn't really the best at reading situations, but with the looks the girl was giving the guy, it was kinda hard to say it was anything else but a player cheating on two girls.

 _Poor girl is getting her heart played with. Well, I may as well tell her before she has to listen to this jerk's excuses._

"Katy, I hate to tell you this, but I believe Guiche is cheating on you." I pointed over to the table where the blond couple was sitting.

"What? No, that can't be." Katy began tearing up and her voice started getting shaky.

"I'm sorry, but it's hard to say that it's anything else." Katy went from sad to mad in about three seconds. There were still tears in her eyes, but she was clearly pissed. She sniffed a bit.

"Thank you Nathaniel." Katy began to walk over to Guiche, the grip she had on the basket she was holding was so tight, I thought that the thing was going to break.

 _I'd feel sorry for what's getting ready to happen to this guy, but he got himself into this mess._

When Katy got behind Guiche, she took the lid off the basket and shoved the thing on his head. She ran crying the opposite direction. I didn't want to get involved any further, so I decided to get back to Louise.

* * *

"Well, you took your time."

 _I've only been around her for two days and I've already lost count of how many times she's given me that annoyed look._

I wasn't very good at formal speech but, no better time to try than the present. Besides, this might help me to get on her good side to make negotiating something with her a little easier. "My apologies Master. There ended up being quite the complicated situation." She just waved me off again.

"I don't care. I was thinking a bit and decided something."

 _There's no way. Did she already think about what I said earlier?_

"Since you are my familiar, and you are expected to defend me, you'll be needing a weapon."

 _I knew it was too good to be true._

"If I may, I don't even know how to fight, let alone use a weapon."

"If that's the case, then once we get you a sword to fight with, you will be practicing every day to use it." There was no point arguing. If I said anything else, I'd just be digging myself into a deeper hole. That also meant that I would be holding off on our discussion until later.

* * *

 _ **Back in Washington**_

"Don't worry ma'am, we'll find your son. This police department has the finest missing persons team in the state."

"Thank you officer. I never should have yelled at him like that. I told him not to come home unless he fixed the damn computer… and now he's gone. It's all my fault."

"Don't go blaming yourself . We'll get your son back for you."

* * *

Oh boy, chapter three! I'm going to start by saying that my original goal for this chapter was nowhere near where it ended up. Initially, I was going to have the whole Guiche fighting sequence, but I ended up going against that. Rather, I decided to involve Katy as a slightly more major character. Also, I had planned to have a chapter released daily. But, after writing only three chapters, I can say that won't be happening. Instead, expect a chapter released every two to three days.

Just like last time, all advice and criticism is appreciated. And don't forget to let me know what you think of the story so far! Part four coming soon!


	4. A New Friend

I never did get to have that talk with Louise. The day ended with me getting a poor excuse for a meal, taking Louise's laundry down to be cleaned again and sleeping in that pile of hay Louise calls a bed. Thankfully, I was able to sleep some last night. As much as I miss home, I'm starting to adapt here. Personally, I feel like I'm adapting too quickly, like something is making me more comfortable with everything the longer I'm here. Whatever the case may be, I woke up early again, waited for the sun to rise and woke the hibernating bear from her slumber.

Breakfast played out similarly to yesterday as well. I didn't get a single bite to eat, Louise got a stacked plate and she ate as quickly as possible to get away from the students gossiping about her right in front of us. Which brings us to my current predicament. Riding a horse. Louise was already atop her black mare, staring at me as I stared at the horse that I was supposed to ride. The large creature was very intimidating to me.

 _How do you even get on this thing? It's too tall. Wait...how did Louise get on top of hers?! She shorter than I am!_

"What are you fooling around for? Hurry up and get on the horse." I can never do anything right in that girl's eyes can I? But to be fair, I'd never ridden a horse before. In fact, I've never even seen one in person till now. "Don't tell me you don't even know how to ride a horse." Well, she hit the nail on the head.

"I've never had to ride a horse before!" Louise grabbed her head, irritated. "I thought my familiar was incapable as it was, and now I find out that he can't even ride a horse?" And there she goes with the insults again. I swear, every time I begin to get even the slightest bit of sympathy for her, she does something that sets us right back to where we started. At this rate, I'll never be able to make things civil between us.

"It's not my fault you don't have cars." That's something else I've noticed about this place. There was no electricity, the lack of lightbulbs and a washing machine made that blatantly obvious. It seemed like this place was on par with the medieval times in terms of technology. I should have guessed from the academy looking like a castle.

"What?"

 _Oh, right. Probably shouldn't mention that sort of thing. No telling what might happen if a single person ussures in a technological revolution._

"Nothing." I kept trying to pull myself up and onto the horse's back, surely looking like an idiot based on the chuckling I heard coming from behind me. Louise must have gotten tired of me making a fool of myself, because she stopped me from attempting jumping onto it from the fence.

"Here," she held out her hand to me. "Since you're so inept at horseback, you'll just have to ride behind me." I had to look away when I took her hand. Louise had said that the town we were going to was a few hours away on horseback, so I really didn't feel like walking that far, but at the same time, it was embarrassing having her help me up.

It took a bit of effort, but we managed to get me on the saddle behind Louise. "Now, put your arms around my waist. We can't have you falling off if the horse bucks."

 _Oh, no no no no no. That is not happening._

"I think I'll be fine."

"That wasn't a suggestion." That feeling I had about becoming accustomed to this place so fast was surfacing again. Only now, it was compelling me to follow her orders. It wasn't so much mind control where I wasn't in control of my actions. It was closer to a suggestion that made me _**want**_ to do what she said. So, as much as I tried to fight it, I reluctantly did as she said. "Okay, hold on."

* * *

Saying the trip to town was uncomfortable would be like saying a stab to the chest is painful. A true statement, but doing the actual experience no justice. I've heard people talk about how riding a horse for too long can hurt your back, but I didn't think that it would be this bad. After half an hour, my butt started to hurt, after an hour, it was my back. It just got progressively worse after that. Thankfully, we were finally off that thing and walking around town looking for a shop where Louise could buy a sword for me.

"I think it was right next to Viemont's Elixer Shop." While I followed blindly behind Louise as she tried to find the weapons shop, I tried making sense of the language here. While their spoken language was definitely close to French, the way it was written didn't seem like it. All the signs had symbols that I couldn't read. Thankfully most of the signs were accompanied by a picture indicating what was sold there, but aside from that, I couldn't tell any of them apart. My thinking was interrupted by Louise's sudden outburst. "Here it is!"

The shop she chose didn't look very different from any of the other shops around, but the sign clearly showed a sword on it. The inside was clean in contrast to the outside. The owner of the store was the complete oposite. He had a large red nose, a spindly mustache and teeth like a rat. I didn't like to judge based on appearances, but the way he looked at Louise when she walked in the door was the same look a predator gives its prey when it has no way to escape. I was almost certain the man was going to try and scam her.

"Ah, welcome, welcome. What can I do for this pretty noble lady this evening?" Now I was certain of it, he was going to swindle Louise for everything she was worth.

"I want a sword. Something suitable for him." Louise pointed over at me. I knew she made a mistake the moment she gave the man the option to recommend something for her.

"I think I have just the thing for you. Hold on just a moment while I go fetch it for you." I had to tell her now before she lost every cent she had on her.

"Master, you may want to take a closer look at whatever that guy brings out. Something about him doesn't sit right with me." As soon as I said this, the store owner returned, holding a large, golden claymore in his hands. There was not even an argument there, I would not be able to swing that thing around effectively. I guess I could save Louise the trouble of even bargaining for that thing. "I'm sorry sir, but I don't think I'll be able to use that."

The man was certainly upset, but he didn't let it show. "Of course. My apologies. I'll return right away with something more suitable for you." He went back behind the curtain, grumbling to himself on the way.

"What did you think you were doing?" I guess Louise wasn't too happy with that. Go figure. "That sword was perfect!"

"Trust me. There was no way I would be able to use that thing. Did you see the size of it? I'll need something smaller, like a shortsword or something similar." I began looking at the weapons displayed around the room. There were a few spears, great-axes, flails. I didn't feel confident enough in using those. I was too weak for the axe and I didn't have the skill to use the flail or the spears. That left the barrel of swords sitting in the corner. Inside were a few different swords. A couple broadswords, longswords, another claymore and one single edged sword, almost reminiscent of a katana. The katana was in the worst condition of any of the swords. It was covered in dust and rust, like it hadn't been used in years. But, something about it called out to me. Like the sword was urging me to take it.

As soon as I pulled the sword out of the barrel, the store owner came from the back room again. This time, with a rapier covered in jewels. "This should be more your size sir. I went through my best pieces to find a sword befitting of you."

I turned to the man and held out the sword I had taken out of the barrel. "I'll take this one." Sure it looked like a piece of junk, but the saying 'one man's trash is another man's treasure' has to hold some value, right? Both the man and Louise thought I was insane.

"Are you sure, young man? This rapier was handcrafted by Jacque Pointépéé, master smith from Albion. It can pierce even-"

"Look, I'm sure that sword is great and all, but I've decided. I want this one." Louise grabbed my shoulder and pulled me to face her.

"Are you crazy? You think you'll be able to fight anyone and win with that piece of rust?"

"Yes, listen to the young lady." It didn't matter how much they tried to sway me at this point. Once I decide on something, it's impossible to pull me back. My step-mom always said I was stubborn.

"Like I said. I'll be taking this one." I held the sword out again, just to emphasize my point. I looked over to Louise. "That should be fine, right Master?" I was really hoping she wouldn't fight me on this. It would feel wrong if I left this place without that sword.

"Fine, but don't start complaining when that thing breaks." If Louise fought me on that, I don't think I could have won. "How much for the piece of junk?" The man clearly wasn't happy, being denied two sales, one after the other. He was visibly frowning.

"That'll be one hundred new gold." I saw Louise getting ready to accept the deal, but I wanted to get a little more out of it.

"Include a whetstone and you have yourself a deal." If I could sharpen the thing, I might be able to give it back some its shine. And, if I had to guess, I'd say any price was going to be a profit on the sword for the guy, because he accepted my terms without any other complaints.

"Alright then, one-hundred new gold for the sword and a whetstone." Louise handed the man his payment and we left.

* * *

We arrived at the Academy again a few hours later, back in shambles again after not recovering from the ride to town. When we got back, I had asked Louise if I could stay outside for a moment, to get used to the weapon. She agreed, but only on the condition that I return to her room at dark to take her laundry.

I was sitting over at the fountain near one of the doors. I never thought that playing video games would teach me how to sharpen a sword. I set the sword in my lap and began running the whetstone down it a an angle, letting the rust fall onto the grass. I kept this up for what felt like a couple hours until I was satisfied with my work. The blade was still a rusted brown, but the edge was showing a silver metal underneath and looked a lot sharper. I grabbed the cloth that I had grabbed before I started and wiped the lose rust off. When I finished I held the sword up to inspect my handiwork.

For never having sharpened a sword before, I felt quite proud of what I'd done. I felt that if the sword could talk, it would have thanked me for putting such good care into it.

"Ah, that felt great! I haven't been sharpened in over twenty years!" I was hearing things. I could have swore the sword spoke. Taking a look around, I confirmed there was no one else around, meaning that I was either schizophrenic, or the sword really did speak. I had to confirm my suspicions.

"Did-did you just talk?"

"Sure did! The name's Derflinger! The one and only, best sword ever forged on the continent of Halkeginia! Good to meet ya partner!" With every word, the hilt of the sword clattered. "I was put up in that stuffy shop for years. I spent so long waiting for another partner that I just went to sleep. Never thought someone would buy me while I was sleepin'. Then I wake up to getting sharpened. I haven't felt this good in decades!" There's no way. A talking sword. I've seen a number of strange things since I've been here, but this takes the cake. "Well, enough about me. What about you? What's your name, partner?"

"N-Nathaniel L-Locke."

"Strange name, I'll just keep callin' you partner! I'll be in your care from here on. I look forward to it!"

* * *

Hopefully Chapter Four didn't come out too bad. I wrote the entire thing in one sitting, so I can almost guarantee that there a few mistakes and that the wording isn't the best. Enough on that. Derf is here! Woo-hoo! In the anime, Derflinger is one of my favorite characters, so I was really excited to introduce him into my fic. Hopefully I'll be able to portray his character well.

Also, last chapter, I reintroduced Nathaniel's step-mom. This isn't a fic where the protagonist is summoned with no concern for where they came from. I actually have big plans for what is going to be happening back on Earth. A lot of it will be happening behind the scenes, but I will give a few glimpses into things as time goes on. You'll just have to keep reading to find out how Nathaniel's step-mom copes with losing her son.

Like always, favorite this story to stay informed on updates. I'll be trying to get a new chapter up every few days, if not sooner. Let me know what you think and any suggestions you have, I look forward to reading your reviews. I hope you enjoyed reading chapter four, A New Friend.


	5. A New Realationship

Author's Note

Hey all! Rather than ending this chapter with an author's note, I'm going to start it off with one. I must say, that after posting a measly four chapters totaling only about nine-thousand words, I'm shocked so many people have even read this. That alone is motivating me more than anything. That, along with the fact that I have a handful of you who are reading this, actually following the story. That seemed to have lit a fire underneath me, and I'm finding myself following my own deadline way more strictly.

On that same topic, I meant to post this chapter a couple nights, however a number of things came up, namely family birthdays, but I won't go into detail. Hopefully, not too many situations like this will surface in the future.

That's about all I wanted to say here. So I'm not keeping you any longer, here is the continuation for, Of Times & Realms

* * *

"In other news, a local boy has gone missing. Nathaniel Locke, a high school student here in Morton Washington disappeared after leaving his home last Saturday. Here is a recent picture of the boy. Here is the reporter with the teen's step-mother."

"Here we have the step-mother of Nathaniel Locke, Amanda. Ma'am, what would you like to say to anyone out there who might have information on your step-son?"

"Please, if anyone knows anything, help. He's a kind boy, he'd never do anything. As a mother, I'm begging anyone to help."

"Thank you Miss Locke. Please, if you or someone you know has information on the disappearance of this boy, call the number below. Now, back to traffic."

* * *

Amanda watched as the news van drove away. Her mind was still clouded with worry over her son. He had been missing for six days now. She spent the first two days searching all over town for him, asking anyone who would listen for help. No one knew anything. She stopped by the tech shop that he was supposed to have gone to get the computer fixed. They hadn't seen him. Day three, she had sought the help of the police department. After three days of waiting, she received a call from the local news, requesting an interview with her. What was she to do now? What was there left to do but wait?

Inside the house again, Amanda Locke sat down at the kitchen table, staring at the empty seat in front of her. She felt like a failure of a mother. The last thing she wanted was to lose her son. They weren't related by blood, but she cared for him and loved him like her own for the last twelve years.

The phone rang in the other room. Who could be calling? Probably more reporters. She wasn't in the mood to listen to anymore of them today. They words they used certainly sounded sincere, but she could tell that they were only concerned with getting a good story. Though, there was also the chance that it was the police with new information. Not letting her hopes get too high, she answered.

"Hello? This is Amanda." She could hear someone clear their throat on the other side of the line.

"Ah, Miss Locke? This is the MCPD, we may have some new information regarding the disappearance of your step-son. We would like you to stop by the office at your earliest convenience."

Amanda's breath caught in her throat. New information about Nathaniel's disappearance? Maybe this was a clue to his whereabouts?

"Hello? Miss Locke, are you there?" She had forgotten she was on the phone.

"Yes. Yes I'm here. I'll be there right away."

"We'll be waiting for you. Speak with the greeter, she'll show you inside."

* * *

"So, Miss Locke, after further investigation into your step-son's disappearance, we have discovered some surveillance footage with his last known location."

Amanda had hoped that there would be a clue to where Nathaniel was, but she didn't actually expect there to be one.

"Last Saturday, at 5:37 PM, he was captured moving towards the park across from the liquor store that this footage was taken from. Eight minutes later, at 5:45 PM, a bright light is seen and the footage becomes blurry. Once the footage becomes stable enough to see, your step-son is gone."

This wasn't what she wanted to hear. She wanted the officer to tell her that they found the person who kidnapped her boy, or that they found him, lost in the streets, sleeping in an alley. She wanted some piece of information about where he could be. Not this.

"Strangely enough, the same is true for any camera that caught the scene from that day. My men went to the location seen in the recording and found this." The officer pulled a laptop out from underneath the desk he was sitting in. Not just a laptop, her laptop. The one that she sent Nathaniel out to get repaired. "We attempted to recover some data from the computer's hard drive, but it was fried, similar to the state of a hard drive after it's exposed to a super magnet." The officer slid the laptop across the desk to Amanda. "There's not much else we can do with this for evidence, so we'll be returning it to you. As things stand, we have no way of knowing what happened to Nathaniel. Based on the circumstances of his disappearance, we ask that you not share what you know about him vanishing. We can't risk panic spreading across town. But don't worry Miss Locke, we won't stop searching for your son, so don't give up hope just yet."

* * *

Amanda was home again, alone. She stood in the entrance to her home, unmoving. What now? Her son had vanished without a trace from this world. She saw it herself on the security tapes. He had vanished in a flash of light. What hope was there in finding him if there wasn't a single trace of where he went? Amanda moved into the living room and sat on the couch. She had left the TV on when she left earlier, forgetting to turn it off when she was in a rush to get to the police station. She saw herself speaking on the news. She looked tired. There were dark bags under her eyes, her hair was frizzy and her voice sounded hoarse. That's what missing a child does to you, she guessed. She grabbed the remote and turned the television off.

She sat and stared hard at the laptop in her hands. She looked at it as if were the reason that her son was nowhere to be found. Her anger got the better of her. She stood up and threw the computer as hard as she could into the wall on the far side of the room. The laptop split down the middle, screen and keyboard now seperated. A decent sized hole now in the wall where the she had thrown it.

No. Amanda wasn't going to quit this easily. She wasn't going stop until she saw her son again. She was going to show this twisted world what a mother could do.

* * *

It had been a week since Derflinger had woken up. Louise's initial reaction to him was astonishment. From what she told me, magic weapons were hard to come by as it was, but sentient weapons were in a league of their own in terms of rarity.

Derflinger had been keeping me company in the moments when I had to myself. It was nice having someone to talk to for a change. At the moment, Louise was in one of her classes. She gave me leave for the afternoon, telling me to go into one of the courtyards around the Academy to practice with Derflinger. That was hours ago. I was laying in the grass, sweaty and trying to catch my breath.

I heard one of the doors nearby open. Turning to see who it was, I saw that it was the bald man that I saw the day that I was summoned here. Since then, I had gone to a couple of the classes that he had taught with Louise. I had found out that his name was Jean Colbert.

"Ah, Nathaniel, was it? I'm glad to have run into you. I've been wanting your help with something."

"What is it?" He wanted my help? With what?

"If you don't mind, I would like to go somewhere else for this."

I followed him through the Academy, every corner that we turned down disoriented me more and more. I've been living in this place for almost two weeks now and the only places I knew how to get to were Louise's room, the wash room and the dining hall. Any time that I tried looking around some, I would get lost and ask several of the servants for help. It's happened so much that the staff are now referring to me as, 'The Wandering Familiar.'

We stopped in a library. It was bigger than the one back where I lived, and I used to think that one had a lot of books. I could only imagine how many were in here.

Each of us took a seat at one of the tables. spoke softly as he pulled an old book from the satchel on his side, "Nathaniel, if you don't mind, would you let me see the runes on your hand?" I held my left hand out onto the table with my palm down.

"Do you have any idea what it says? I've been curious what the markings on my hand meant ever since I got them." didn't seem to hear me. He was absorbed in the book that he had set on the table. After he had gone through a number of pages, he stopped and his eyes were wide open.

"Just as I thought…" He pulled a piece of paper from his bag and copied down the runes on my hand and whatever he had read from the book. "Thank you Nathaniel. That is all I needed from you at the moment. But, if my suspicions are correct, the headmaster may be calling for you and Miss Vallière sometime in the near future." With that said, the professor began to get up to leave.

"Um, excuse me, . Before you leave, do you mind giving me directions to Louise's room, or at least to the courtyard where we were?" studied me for a second and then cracked a grin in amusement.

"Ah, I see. So you must be 'The Wandering Familiar' that I've been hearing the servants talk about. Yes, right this way."

After following again, he led me around this labyrinth of a school and brought me back to Louise's room. "Here you are. Remember what I said, the headmaster may call on you soon, so be ready for that. Have a good afternoon." With that, the teacher left.

 _What's so special about the symbols on my hand? They just look like a bunch of shapes to me. Well, there isn't anything I can do about it at the moment, no use worrying over it now._

I had no clue what time it was. They didn't have clocks here, so I was left to using my internal clock to try and guess the time. Based on the fact that it was around lunch when I went to train with Derflinger, and I could only guess that it was sometime near dinner now considering how hungry I was… then again, I haven't been eating the best food since I've been here.

I took a deep breath and knocked on Louise's door. "Master, it's me. Are you there?"

"The door is open."

I pushed the door in and stepped inside. Louise was sitting at her desk, writing down some notes.

"What are you doing?" I tried to look over her shoulder to see what she was writing.

"Magic theory. We are going over the concept of combining other elements with earth to transmute stone into other things, like water."

 _Wait, this might be my chance._

"I was hoping I could talk to you about something" Louise stopped writing, placing the quill she had back into the inkwell.

"What is it?" She sounded more concerned than I thought she would. As usual, I had expected her to turn to me annoyed. Right now, she looked more curious than anything.

"Right, I wanted to talk about our relationship. As it stands now I feel... Well, for lack of a better word, like a slave." She sighed, her shoulders sagging.

"Yes...I have been...thinking about what you had said before, about respecting you. I have considered...changing my view of you, and perhaps listening to your opinion." This was out of character for Louise. Something must have happened for her to even think about that.

"You did? Well… I, uh… yes, I did say that. I was only going to say that I had hoped you would consider treating me more like a person than a familiar. Not to say that I won't help you with what you ask. I just wanted us to have a better understanding of each other." Louise turned away from her desk to face me.

"I accept your terms. I will try harder in the future to keep a certain level of respect between us." I was getting a feeling of guilt from her. I couldn't pinpoint what, but something was definitely up. It shouldn't have been that easy.

"Really? You do? No arguing, no bickering, no insults?"

"I swear by the Founder Brimir's name that I shall no longer treat you as a mage does their familiar, but as someone does a companion."

"I...thank you Master." Louise's face was turning red. She wasn't getting mad again was she? Her face tended to light up like that when she was getting ready to yell at me. Fearing an incoming barrage of words, I turned my head and closed my eyes. The yelling never came.

"You may call me by my name when we are in each others company. However! If we are in front of others, you are to address me as Master, understood?" This wsa progress! We were finally getting somewhere that would be better for the both of us. I would have to thank whoever managed to convince her to think about this.

"Yes, of course, Louise." I still wondered, who even persuaded her to consider this. "If you don't mind me asking, is there a reason for your sudden change of heart?" I had to know, there was no way that she would come around on her own.

"Idiot! Nothing happened. I just thought about what you had said and realized that it was unfair to treat you strictly as a familiar when you were also a person." I guess I wasn't going to be getting anything else out of her tonight.

"I see…"

* * *

 _ **Two Days Ago**_

Louise was alone in her room, looking through one of the textbooks she had borrowed from the library to help her with her next area of study, cross elemental transmutation. She found the entire concept fascinating. Not only that, but she was always set on studying. Lacking in the ability to cast magic, even with her being a daughter of the Vallière. To make up for it, she would always absorb herself in her studies in hopes that it might help in some way.

While she was reading she heard a knock at her door. Louise answered it, "Yes? Who is it?"

"Miss Vallière? It's Siesta, the maid." Louise had remembered. Siesta was that maid that would hang around her familiar sometimes.

"Come in." Siesta let herself inside the room and glanced around uncomfortably for a moment.

"Miss Vallière, Nathaniel wouldn't happen to be here would he?" Now she understood why that maid was here. She was looking for that no good familiar of hers.

"No, he's outside practicing his swordplay like I've instructed him to." The maid breathed a sigh of relief.

"I see, good. Then, Miss Valière, would you have a moment to talk about your familiar?"

Siesta spent the next hour talking to Louise about Nathaniel's feelings on being Louise's familiar. She told Louise that he wasn't happy about the entire thing and that he wanted to change things between them. At first, Louise was angry at Nathaniel for daring to speak about her behind her back. But, as Siesta continued, Louise began to understand things a little more. Finally, after Siesta had finished, Louise had agreed to try and fix things between Nathaniel and herself.

"Thank you ever so much Miss Valière. I apologize for coming to you so suddenly for such a reason. I would never had done so, but I wanted to help him once more before I left." The maid was leaving? Why? "It appears that Count Mott has requested my services at his estate. So, I'm for there tomorrow. Please, could you keep this from Nathaniel? I don't wish to worry him."

"Yeah, sure." Louise knew about the Count. She had heard the rumors about him hiring maids, only for them to disappear from his service. "Good luck with your work, Siesta." Siesta bowed slightly and left Louise alone in her room once more. She hoped that the maid would be alright. Not because she was worried about her, but because it might hurt her familiar if he found out something happened to one of the people he had grown close to at the Academy.


	6. Rescue

Things have been very strange at the Academy. All of the servants and even some of the students have been awfully quiet the last couple of days. There was some problem going on behind the scenes that no one was talking about, and I was going to find out what it was. The only problem was who to ask.

I'm not particularly close with any of the servants except for Siesta, and it's hard to talk to any of the students. They're all stuck up brats that won't acknowledge anyone that isn't at their social status. The only nobles who have even spoken to me politely are Katy, Mister Colbert and Louise when she was in a good mood. That brought my options down to those four.

Thinking about it, Mr Colbert would probably know the most about the situation since he's a teacher here. On the other hand, he's probably in the library and I don't feel like reinforcing the whole 'Wandering Familiar' bit. I could try Katy, but I had no idea where I could find her. So that left me with Louise and Siesta. Louise and I just started going in a good direction, and I don't want to test the waters too much just yet. By process of elimination, that left Siesta.

It was just after breakfast, meaning Siesta was most likely helping in the kitchens. Thankfully one of the easier places to find in the Academy. When I got there, all of the servants were going about their normal routines. Gathering what was left of the food as leftovers, cleaning the dishes and preparing food for the next meal. Out of all the people there, I couldn't find Siesta.

Where was she? She's never not been here. Something definitely wasn't right. There was a sour feeling in my gut. I just hope that I'm imagining things.

The only person I could think of that would know about Siesta was the chef, Marteau. I've never spoken to the man by myself. I'd only ever been around him when I was with Siesta and he was in the kitchen. Well, no better time than the present to get to know someone.

* * *

"She's not here? What do you mean she isn't here?" I found Marteau right where I thought he'd be, in the kitchens getting lunch ready. Speaking to him was intimidating at first. Marteau, by his looks, was not someone you wanted to get on the bad side of. He was big, he had strong arms and a strong personality to match. Part of me was bothered at the fact that he didn't have some kind of net covering his beard. Public cooking procedures aside, I had asked him if he knew where Siesta was, and his answer wasn't what I had wanted.

"I mean that she isn't here. Siesta won't be at the Academy anymore. Didn't she tell you?"

"No, you're kidding, right? She never said anything about this." Marteau put his head down and sighed deeply.

"I'm surprised about that. You two seemed so close." My patience was waning, where was she? The way he was talking made it sound like she was in some sort of danger.

"You still haven't told me. Where is Siesta?"

"A few days ago, the royal messenger, Count Mott came by on some deliveries for the Headmaster. On his way out, he left with Siesta. He must have seen her and offered her a position at his estate." I really didn't like that tone in his voice. It was somber.

"Why would she leave? It doesn't make any sense."

"You don't know much about this place, do you? Count Mott is notorious for hiring maids from the Academy, offering them higher pay." That didn't sound so bad. "Thing is, no one ever sees or hears from those maids again. Rumor has it, he brings them in as concubines."

"What?!" My outburst startled Marteau and got the attention of several of the nearby servants.

"Hey, hey, keep it down boy. Look, it's a real shame, what happened to Siesta, but there isn't anything any of us can do. The nobles here can't go against him because of his court rank and us commoners can't do a thing against nobles."

Nothing anyone could do? Like Hell I would believe that. "Marteau, where is this guy's estate?" If no one else was going to do anything about it, or worse, if everyone was going to act like nothing happened at all, I was at least going to try and do something about it.

"Listen, I understand your concern, you two were close, but these aren't matters you can handle. I'm sorry, but you just have to come to terms with how things are. Please, go out for a bit and clear your head, your attitude is making the food spoil."

* * *

That's it huh? No one is going to do anything about it. What kind of world is this?

"Hey, Derf." I've grown used to having Derflinger around. Sure he was loud sometimes, but he made good company when I didn't have anyone to talk to. "What do you think?" There was a brief moment of silence.

"To be honest partner, I'm not sure. Just hearing about this Mott guy has got me riled up for a good stabbin'. But, at the same time, it'd just be us going into a mansion with at least one mage and a dozen guards. Not the most favorable odds if ya ask me." I took Marteau's advice and was walking around the grounds outside. I leaned against one of the walls and slid down it so that I was sitting.

"So, what do we do? I can't just sit here and do nothing when I know what could be happening to her."

"I get ya partner. Whatever you decide, I'm behind ya all the way." It was good to know that I had someone I could rely on.

"I'll think of a plan for now, Louise's class should be ending soon." As if I performed some secret que, I heard an explosion in the distance somewhere in the Academy. I couldn't help but shake my head. Her lesson was definitely over.

* * *

As per our routine, I met Louise in the courtyard for lunch. She always tried her best to avoid the other students when she could. Thinking about it, I should probably tell her what's going on. Who knows what she may do if I don't.

"Louise, I need to talk to you about something important." I don't usually talk to Louise about so called 'important' matters. So me doing so grabbed her attention.

"What could possibly be so important that you decide to talk to me about it?" There was that air of arrogance that she had when she first summoned me. It was clear to see that she was only holding it up to hide her embarrassment from her failure in her last lesson.

"I need to speak with a noble by the name of Count Mott. He's the royal messenger. Do you know where I could find him?" Louise became frozen in place. "Louise? What's wrong?"

"I guess you found out." What did she mean by that? No, she couldn't… did she know about Siesta?

"Louise, don't tell me you knew about all this? Why didn't you tell me?!" Louise knew that Siesta and I were close, she knew that she was my friend.

"Because that maid didn't want you to know. Knowing how dull you can be, she probably knew you'd try something stupid. Based on your question, I'd say that she was right."

"Even if you say that, I have to help her!" The air of arrogance she had shifted. It wasn't arrogance, in fact it wasn't her usual annoyance either, it was anger.

"You will do no such thing! As your master, I forbid it. Consider the situation, will you? If you go, there's a chance that you'll be killed. On top of that, the blame will fall directly onto the Vallière family."

"Louise, I never said that I'd be going to fight him. I asked you where he was so that I could speak with him, try to negotiate something." Marteau's suggestion to clear my head turned out to be good advice. When I stopped for a moment to think about it, I realized that charging in headfirst wouldn't be getting me very far. Instead, I ventured for the diplomatic route. "So, please. Where can I find Count Mott?"

"No. I still forbid you from going to Mott's estate alone. So, I'll be going with you."

I must've been hearing things. She said she was coming with me?

"I...I don't know what to say...thank you, Louise. I didn't know you could be so kind."

"Don't misunderstand me. I'm not doing this for your sake or the maid's. There's no telling what kind of trouble you would stir up if you went alone."

"Still… thank you, Louise." Louise's cheeks became flushed and she turned her head away from me. She must not be on the receiving end of gratitude so often if it embarrassed her that easily. "Well, what are we waiting for? Your classes are over for the day, right? Let's get going!"

* * *

Mott's estate was closer to the Academy than I thought it'd be. I had guessed it to be closer to the city, but it was only about twenty minutes to the south on horseback, saving my back from needing a visit from a chiropractor.

Even from the distance we were at, I could tell that Derf was right earlier. I was able to make out several guards moving along the fenceline of the mansion. To back that up, it meant that Louise was also right in saying that I could have gotten myself killed. Fun.

"Nathan, you still haven't said what your plan is." Right, I never told her, did I?

"Well, based on how the students back at the Academy look at me, I'm going to make the assumption that Count Mott won't be taking my word very seriously. So, I want you to do the talking. Confront Mott, tell him that you were going to personally hire Siesta before he left with her and that you want a fair chance at employing her." It was all a gamble. It was very unlikely that any of this would go according to plan.

"Alright. Hopefully this plan of yours works. But I won't go any further than this. I won't risk tarnishing the Vallière name." We arrived at the front gate as Louise finished her sentence. The guard posted at the entrance approached us and demanded our names and business for being at the estate.

This wasn't good, I didn't think about this. There was the likely chance that Count Mott would refuse to even meet us if he knew why we were here. Although, for some reason, Louise didn't even flinch. "Tell Count Mott that Louise Françoise le Blanc de La Vallière is here to speak with him." The guard's attitude did a complete one eighty. He was almost shaking now, fearful. Was Louise that important?

The journey inside was uneventful. We were led inside a few minutes after the guard had gone in and come back out, saying that Count Mott would meet with us shortly. The guard brought us to the living room and urged us to have a seat on the couch in front of the fireplace. After waiting for about ten minutes or so, Count Mott came from one of the back hallways.

The moment I saw him, I didn't like him. Everything about him was, for lack of a better word, wrong. The way he moved, the way he looked at us, the way his facial hair and eyebrows were shaped. If anything was certain, it was that I had to get Siesta away from him.

Sitting down in the chair across from us, Count Mott smiled. "Well, what pleasure do I owe to the Vallière, family second only to the crown, for the visit of their youngest daughter?"

I could tell that Louise was on the same page as me with Mott, it was subtle, but it was there, in the way that she was sitting, leaning just a bit too far back to be comfortable. "Count Mott, I've come across the information that you recently pulled a maid from Tristain's Academy of Magic into your service. Is that not so?"

Count Mott, leaned back more comfortably in his chair.

"Yes, I did Miss Vallière. Just a few days past. Why is it that you ask?"

"You see, I had intended to put her into my own service, however you hired her before I had the chance. I came here in hopes of seeing if I had any chances of relieving you of her."

"I'm deeply sorry Miss Vallière, but it seems then that your trip here was fruitless. You see, I have no intention of giving up young Siesta. She has been serving me very well." That bastard. What has he been doing to the poor girl?

"I see. Well then, sorry to disturb you. My familiar and I will take our leave now." Louise got up from the couch and went for the door. I remained where I was. "Nathan, what are you doing? Come on, we're leaving." I stood up and looked Count Mott in his eyes.

"What kind of work have you been having Siesta do?" Louise was back at my side, pulling on my arm to get me to leave.

"Come on Nathan, this isn't the time for this." Count Mott smiled, and the way he did so sent chills down my spine.

"Nothing too outlandish really. Cooking, cleaning, entertainment…"

"Bastard…" I uttered that word shortly and with all the disgust that I was holding against that man so that I almost spat it at him. The gramace that Count Mott now wore clearly showed that I had upset him.

"Miss Vallière, I've changed my mind. I will give you the chance to have the maid Siesta. That is, on the condition that your familiar manages to beat me in a dual. What do you say?"

* * *

Oh God, where do I even start? I suppose that an apology is first and foremost. I am so sorry to all who had to wait for this chapter. Shortly before I was going to begin working on it, there was an accident with my laptop, and needless to say, it didn't work anymore. After saving up to get a replacement, here we are.

From here on out, there are a couple matters to discuss. First off, how often do you want these chapters out? More specifically, would you prefer more frequent updates with shorter chapters, or visa versa? Secondly, plot. I mentioned it before, but I have very little planned for this in terms of what is set in stone for the future. Any ideas that you guys may have might be taken into consideration as I continue to work on this fic. As it stands, the ideas I do have only span to the invasion of Albion.

There you have it. I doubt the wait was worth it, but I hope you enjoyed reading chapter six, Rescue.


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